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(No Mbdel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' G. W. LUTES.

UNDERGUT MINING MACHINE.

Patented Jan. 21, 1896.

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No Model.) G W LUTES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

UNDERGUT MINING MACHINE.

No. 553,248. Patented Jan. 21, 1896.

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GEORGE V. LUTES, OF LISBON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO AMOS B. CASSELMAN, OF YVASHINGTON, DISTRICT OFCOLUMBIA.

UNDERCUT MINING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,248, dated January 21, 1896.

Application filed September 26,1895. Serial No. 563,767. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: the cutting-tools and reciprocate the same,

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. LUTES, a and Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view showcitizen of the United States, residing at Lising a form of cutting-tool which maybe used. bon, in the county of Oolumbiana and State In order to enable those skilled in the art 55 of Ohio, have invented new and useful Imto make and use my invention, I will now deprovements inUndercut Mining Machines, of scribe the same in detail, referring to the which the following is a specification. drawings, wherein- This invention relates to that class of min- The numeral 1 indicates a base-frame of any ing-machines having a gang of reciprocating construction suitable for the purpose. This 60 IO cutting-tools designed for undercutting or base-frame is preferably composed of a rectundermining to form horizontal and narrow angular piece of timber arranged in a hori cuttings, and thus facilitate the subsequent zontal position and provided with upright detachment or removal of the coal. brackets 2, bolted or otherwise attached to the The chief objects of my invention are to base-frame and constructed to receive the 65 improve the prior apparatus or machines of cutter-head, which is composed of horizontal the class referred to, and to provide a novel cutter-carrying bars 4, 5 and 6, arranged in a arrangement of cutters, whereby stepped unstepped form, so that the bar 5 lies in rear of der-cuts will be produced in the operation of the bar 6, and the bar 4: lies in rear of the the machine, thus rendering it possible to bar 5. 7o produce at one operation an under-cut or The cutter-carryin g bars are rigidly congroove of considerably greater width than is nected by angular brackets 7 bolted to the possible with prior machines of a similar respective bars through the medium of suitcharacter for the purpose of materially faciliable bolts, as at 8, 9, and 10. The cutter-cartating the detachment or removal of the coal. rying bars are provided with gangs of cut- 75 2 5 The invention also has for its object to proters or cutting-tools 12, 13, and 14. The vide novel means for simultaneously advancgangs of cutters or cutting-tools 12, 13, and ing or feeding and reciprocating the cutters 14: are preferably detachably secured respectin such manner that they are maintained in ively to the cutter-carrying bars 4, 5, and 6 engagement with the coal during their recipin such manner that the tools can be readily 8o rocating movements to produce the stepped removed for the purpose of sharpening them under-cut. whenever desired, or for substituting a new To accomplish these objects my invention cutter (one or more) if occasion demands. involves the features of construction and the It will be observed that by the construction combination or arrangement of parts hereand arrangement of parts described and 85 3 5 inafter described and claimed, reference be shown the gangs of cutters are arranged in ing made to the accompanying drawings, in stepped form, one gang lying in advance of which the other gang, so that if the cutter-head, as Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved a whole, is reciprocated and the tools act upon mining-machine applied in operative position the coal the cutters or cutting-tools will pro- 0 0 in a mine and showing the stepped under-cuts duce stepped cuttings, as indicated by the nuproduced by the cutting-tools. Fig. 2 is a merals 15, 16, and 17, Fig. 1, thereby renderplan view of the machine, showing some of ing it possible to readily produce a cutting or the parts in section. Fig. 3 is a detail secgroove of considerable depth or width, as comtional view taken on the line 3 3, Fig. 2. pared to asingle row of cutters acting on the 5 5 Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the bracecoal in prior machines for undercutting or standards for engaging the top and bottom of undermining. the mine for the purpose of enabling feed The cutter-headisreciprocatedthrough the mechanism to advance the cutting-tools as medium of a pitman 18, pivoted at one end, they are reciprocated. Fig. 5 is a detail peras at 19, to the central cutter-carrying bar 5 mo spective view of one of the-nuts used in conof the cutter-head, and at its opposite end nection with the screw-shafts which advance connected to the crank 20 of a crank-wheel 21, secured to a rotary shaft 22, which is j ournaled in brackets 23 and 24, bolted or otherwise rigidly secured to the base-frame 1. The rear end of the shaft 22 is provided with an angular head engaging an angular socket 25 in the front end of a screw-shaft 26 which works in a non-rotary nut 27, having lateral arms, as at 28, lying in recesses 29, formed in a brace-standard 30. The brace-standard is provided at its upper and lower ends with adjustable screws 31 and 32 for the purpose of engaging the top and bottom of the mine, and thereby enabling the brace-standard to be rigidly and immovably fixed in a perpendicular position, as represented in Fig. 1.

The base-frame 1 is also provided with a bearing-block 33, having a cavity 34, in which is arranged the front end of a screw-shaft 35, working in a screw-nut 36, having lateral arms 37 engaging recesses in a brace-standard 38, constructed and arranged in all substantial respects the same as the brace-standard 30, so that it can be fixed in a perpendicular position in the mine. The brace-standards resist the rearward pressure of the nonrotary nuts 27 and 36 when the screw-shafts 26 and are rotated, and these brace-standards also engage and prevent rotation of the nuts when the screw-shafts are rotated.

The rotary motion of the screw-shaft 26 imparts a rectilinearly-reciprocating motion to the cutter-head, and the rotary motion of the screw-shaft 35 advances or feeds the baseframe 1, and consequently the gangs of cutters, during the reciprocating motion of said cutters.

The screw-shafts are both rotated in the same direction, and this is accomplished, as here shown, through the medium of rotary drive-shafts 39 and 40, journaled on a frame 41, having a pillow-block 42, in which the shaft 43 of a spur-gear 44 is journaled.

The shafts 39 and are journaled in bearings 47 and 48, and their front ends are coni cated at 51, Fig. 2, in such manner that when the shafts 39 and 40 are rotated the screwshafts 26 and 35 are also rotated, and since these screw-shafts are in operative connection with non-rotary nuts 27 and 36 the screwshafts will travel longitudinally in a forward direction. In the longitudinal movement of the screw-shafts their angular heads, as 51, traverse the sleeves 49 and 50 of the shafts 39 and 40.

The spur-gear 44 may be rotated manually, or it may be driven by any suitable motor, such as an electrical or other engine. The rotation of the spur-gear imparts rotary motion in the same direction to the pinions, and, therefore, by the construction and arrangement of parts heretofore described and shown, the gangs of stepped cutting-tools are simultaneously advanced or fed forward and recip- The spur-gear meshes into pinions 45 and 46, secured respectively to the shafts 39 and 40.

rocated rectilin'early to produce a stepped under-cut, as indicated in Fig. 1, which produces a comparatively deep or wide undercutting to facilitate the subsequent detachment or removal of the coal.

, The brace-standards 30 and 38 are preferably constructed with supplemental recesses 29 as shown in Fig. 4, for the vertical adjustment of the non-rotary screw-nuts 27 and 36 to accommodate the various parts of the base-frame 1 and frame 41, if they are set higher or lower in the mine to meet conditions that may arise.

A machine constructed in accordance with my invention can be conveniently and readily operated, and will rapidly produce stepped under-cuts for the purpose of undercutting or undermining the coal in a coal-mine to facilitate the subsequent detachment or removal of the coal, thereby entirely avoiding the discomfort and labor incident to the ordinary practice of undercutting, which requires the miners to lie recumbent and use picks.

I have specifically described my improved machine with special reference to operating on coal in a coal-mine but obviously the ma chine can be used for any purpose for which it may be found adapted.

The construction of the cutters is best seen by reference to Fig. 6, where one of the cutters is represented in detail. The cutter is formed with a chisel-edge 52' and a shank 53, adapted to be set in a socket in a cutter-carrying bar. The construction of the cutter may, however, be variously modified without affecting the spirit of my invention.

The chief advantage of my machine resides in its simplicity of construction and the possibility of manufacturing it at greatly less expense than machines heretofore constructed and designed for undercutting or underminmg.

Although I have illustrated a specific form of cutting-tool, (best seen in Fig. 6,) I do not wish to be understood as confining myself to any particular construction of cutting-tool, as the form, shape, or construction thereof may be variously modified without affecting the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a mining machine, the combination with a base-frame, of a reciprocating cutterhead provided with a plurality of cutter carrying-bars arranged in stepped form, one in advance of another, gangs of independent cutters mounted respectively on the cutter carrying-bars to produce stepped undercuts, and mechanism for reciprocating the cutterhead, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a mining machine, the'combination with a base-frame, of a reciprocating cutterhead comprising a plurality of cutter carrying-bars arranged in stepped form, brackets rigidly connecting the cutter-bars together,

gangs of independent cutters mounted respectively on the cutter carrying-bars to pro the other one of which serves to advance or feed the cutter-head, non-rotary screw-nuts with which the screwshafts engage, and mechanism for imparting rotary motion to the screw-shafts, substantially as described.

4. In a mining machine, the combination with a base-frame, and a reciprocating cutter-head mounted thereupon and provided with cutting tools, of two rotary screw-shafts, one of which connects with and serves to reciprocate the cutter-head, and the other one of which serves to advance or feed the cutterhead, brace-standards adapted to engage the top and bottom of a mine, non-rotary screwnuts engaged with the brace-standards, rotary-shafts having sleeves engaging and serving to rotate the screw-shafts, and mechanism for rotating the sleeve carrying-shafts, substantially as described.

5. In a mining machine, the combination with a base-frame, and a reciprocating cutter-head mounted thereupon and provided with cutting tools, of a countershaft journaled on the base-frame and having a crank and pitman connection with the cutter-head for reciprocating the same, a rotary-screwshaft engaging said countershaft, a rotary screw-shaft engaging a part of the base-frame, brace-standards provided with non-rotary screw-nuts with which the screw-shafts are in operative connection, a pair of rotary driveshafts loosely connected with the screw-shafts for rotating the latter and provided with pinions, and a spur gear engaging the pinions, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE \V. LUTES.

Witnesses J OHN M. DICKINSON, GEO. T. FARRELL. 

